Since the release of a wireless local area network standard IEEE802.11 in 1997, wireless fidelity (WiFi), driven by the WiFi Alliance formed by leading corporations in industries, has been developing quickly due to its advantages such as fast deployment, ease of use, and high transmission rate. Because notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, and so on all support the WiFi technology, and users have requirements for mobile office, the WiFi technology is widely applied in various industries. Access points of WiFi networks are widely distributed in places such as hotels, cafeterias, schools, and hospitals, and it may be said that WiFi is present everywhere in people's life.
The configuration procedure about how to simply set up a WiFi network at home and then add devices to the wireless network or perform other operations (removing devices) is inconvenient for most users. The WiFi protected setup (WPS) developed by the WiFi Alliance provides simple operation methods to enable users to complete those operations; however, the configuration methods provided by the prior WPS specification have the following problems: high costs, complicated operations, and so on.
Main operations in the prior WPS include setting up an initial wireless network, and adding devices to the wireless network. The WPS architecture includes three parts: an application terminal (enrollee), a registrar, and an access point (AP). The AP is the infrastructure of the wireless local area network, that is, an access point supporting the 802.11 protocol. The registrar is a device for managing the setup of the network and addition/removal of the application terminal. The registrar may be integrated with the access point. An external device such as a mobile phone or a computer may also act as a registrar.
In the prior art, a personal identification number (PIN) identification method may be used to set up a wireless network connection. In actual applications, it is assumed that the following scenario exists. A user has a mobile phone (integrating the roles of an external registrar and an application terminal) and an AP and wants to set up a wireless local area network. After the AP is powered on, the mobile phone may automatically detect the AP and ask the user whether to install the AP. After the user confirms the installation, the mobile phone prompts the user to enter the PIN number of the AP (the PIN is printed on a label attached to the AP). After the user enters the PIN number, a default configuration process is started between devices, and then the mobile phone displays confirmation that the AP is successfully configured. After the initial wireless network is set up, if the user needs to add a wireless printer to the network, after the wireless printer is powered on, the mobile phone detects the new wireless device, and prompts the user whether to add the new wireless device to the network; after the user confirms the addition, the user needs to enter the PIN of the wireless printer into the mobile phone. Then a default configuration process is started between the devices. Finally, both the mobile phone and the wireless printer prompt that the addition is successful.
In the prior art, a user is required to enter the PIN number at the registrar. The user needs to view the label of the device to be added to the network to find the PIN number and enter the PIN number on the user interface of the registrar. The operations in the process of finding the PIN number and entering the PIN number are inconvenient for the user.